5 memorable moments from Biden’s State of the Union

President Biden delivered a fiery State of the Union address to a bitterly divided Congress and the nation Thursday night, an unusually political speech as the president prepares to face former President Trump in the general election. Many people thought so.

The hour-plus speech touched on a number of issues that will dominate the 2024 cycle, including immigration and abortion, and included a spontaneous exchange with one of the president’s leading critics in the Republican Party, and featured comments from both conservatives and progressives. There was a flurry of jeers.

The facial expressions of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) also attracted headlines, making him the third House speaker after Biden to address the State of the Union.

Here are five memorable moments from the president’s speech.

Biden and Greene engage in unusual spat

The most talked-about part of the speech was about Georgia student Laken Riley, a conversation between the president and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of the loudest critics on Capitol Hill. It was an unusual exchange between them. Police say he was killed by a man who crossed the border illegally.

Greene handed Biden a pin that read, “Please say her name Laken Riley,” as he entered the chamber to speak. Greene was handing out pins to lawmakers ahead of her speech Thursday night.

Later, while Biden was discussing the situation at the southern border during a speech, Greene yelled, “We’re talking about Laken Riley,” and other Republicans yelled, “Say her name.”

Biden responded to lawmakers from the podium, holding up a pin given to him by Greene.

“Laken Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal alien,” he said. “My heart goes out to her parents, and to you myself, on the loss of her child. I understand.”

The exchange drew criticism from Democrats. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, responded to the press after the speech, saying, “I wish he hadn’t used the word illegal when he got involved with Marjorie Taylor Greene.” he said.

Asked about the exchange, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Republicans became “very emotional” during the speech because it was an “overly partisan speech.” . Johnson on Wednesday urged lawmakers to maintain civility during Biden’s remarks.

“People got very emotional tonight because it was such a partisan speech and it was so full of information that was objectively untrue. So the visceral reaction of the people in the chamber. “I think a lot of people around the country felt the same frustration,” he said.

Progressives hold placards that say “Stop sending bombs”

As Biden discussed the conflict with Hamas, several progressive lawmakers held signs that read “Stop Sending the Bombs” and criticized the Biden administration’s approach to Israel.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian member of Congress, as well as Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) hold up paddle signs. I was also seen.

The quiet protests come as many are dissatisfied with Biden’s military aid to Israel as the death toll of Palestinian civilians rises, and Biden faces challenges within his own party. It reflects the division that exists.

Biden detailed the conflict in his speech, saying “Israel has a right to go after Hamas,” noting that many of the 30,000 Palestinian victims were not affiliated with the terrorist organization.

The Biden administration announced Thursday it would open a temporary pier for direct aid to Gaza.

Biden also made some of his most pointed comments about Israel’s need to protect civilians.

“To the leaders of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian aid must not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives must be our top priority. “Hmm,” he said.

President Trump invades the House chamber

Former President Trump may not have been at the Capitol for his speech Thursday night, but his presence was felt throughout the House chamber.

Greene, a close ally of the former president, wore a bright red MAGA hat during Biden’s remarks. Meanwhile, Rep. Troy Neals (R-Texas) wore a shirt with a picture of President Trump’s face on it with the words “Never Surrender!” In addition to a patriotic bow tie. The Texas Republican stood at the back of the chamber, opening his blazer to reveal Trump’s shirt.

But it wasn’t just the clothes that screamed President Trump. Biden’s speech, which had been criticized by Republicans for being unusually political for a State of the Union address, did not mention Trump but did mention “my predecessor,” according to remarks prepared by the White House. It was mentioned 13 times.

Biden condemned President Trump’s comments about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, accused the former president of undermining a bipartisan immigration bill authored by a group of senators, and a series of Supreme Court decisions. denounced President Trump’s efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade. A court with conservative judges.

The line drew applause from Democrats, but received a predictably frosty response from Republicans.

“That speech was angry and divisive. It was out of touch with reality,” said Rep. August Pflueger (R-Texas), who joined the bipartisan bill drafted in the Senate. He criticized the part that asked Republicans to support immigration measures.

“I think he was implying that we were the cause.” [the border] Not safe. So where does our country’s inspiration lie? Where are the leaders who can yell at us and not be so angry? To be honest, I felt it was just an angry speech,” he added.

Johnson shook his head throughout his speech.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) facial reaction to Biden’s speech drew attention in itself, with nods and even the occasional eye roll becoming a hallmark of the president’s back-and-forth.

Ahead of Mr Johnson’s first speech as Speaker, he encouraged his party to behave civilly during his speech.

However, when Mr. Biden criticized Mr. Trump for having “failed,” he shook his head and said “no” with a slight roll of his eyes, and his dissent from the speaker’s mild-mannered speech was conveyed exactly the same.[ing] It is our most basic duty to care for the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People say I made funny faces. I tried to keep a poker face, but it was very difficult. I strongly disagreed with a lot of what he said, and I think people back home did the same. ” Johnson told reporters after his speech.

“I think there’s a lot of memes going around tonight about my facial expressions. I didn’t like that speech, I don’t think the American public liked it either, and there wasn’t much I could do about it. I think I didn’t hide it very well,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

When Mr. Biden discussed his administration’s policy on the federal deficit, Mr. Johnson rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Johnson also shook his head several times when Biden criticized the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Trump signed into law in 2017. The same thing happened when Mr. Biden blamed Mr. Trump for increasing the national debt during his presidency.

And when Biden accused Republicans of trying to “endanger” Social Security and give tax cuts to the wealthy, Johnson scoffed and shook his head “no.”

Biden praises stalled immigration policy; Lankford nods ‘yes’

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., nodded solemnly and said, “That’s right,” as Mr. Biden listed a list of immigration priorities that were supposed to be addressed in a bipartisan package negotiated by the Oklahoma Republican Party. “Yes,” he opened his mouth.

As soon as Biden mentioned the stalled reform bill, cameras turned to Lankford, who was quickly abandoned by his party after months of efforts to lose support from key Senate Republicans. .

While Biden praised the bill as “the toughest border security reform we’ve ever seen,” and blamed Republicans for not supporting it, Langford, who was initially adamant, also directly criticized the bill. Was.

“Oh, you don’t like that bill, do you?” Biden said to boos from Republicans. “Conservatives got together and said it’s a good bill? That’s going to be crazy. That’s amazing.”

But once Biden followed through on his bill’s list of priorities (hiring 1,500 more Border Patrol agents and funding the hiring of 100 more immigration judges and 4,300 additional asylum workers), Lankford agreed. I started nodding.